


Coffee Kisses

by xxcelientje



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Muggle, Coffee Shops, F/M, France (Country), Summer Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-06-29 16:39:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15733341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxcelientje/pseuds/xxcelientje
Summary: When Hermione’s forced to leave work for a month she ends up spending her time in France. Here she meets Draco, the new manager of her favourite coffee shop. Ever since their eyes locked, she can’t get the blonde out of her head.





	Coffee Kisses

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own these characters. They are however, a bit different that we’re used to. (hence the AU, but I do think a muggle life could have made them this way.)

It was a very hot summer day when Hermione Granger was forced to take a break from work. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had taken more than one day off, and her boss, Kingsley, gave that exact reason to ban her from the office for at least four weeks.  
Hermione had been his personal secretary for almost two years now, and she absolutely loved her job. Sure, she spend long hours behind a desk planning everything, and working ahead, but she didn’t mind at all. She was a bit of a workaholic.

Banned for a whole month.

What was she going to do with all that free time?

‘I don’t care what you do, or where you go, but I don’t want to see your face for at least four weeks. You deserve a break, Hermione,’ Kingsley had said, giving her one of his famous stern looks.

Hermione sighed as she slowly walked home. What was she going to do? She knew she would go crazy just sitting at home. Normally she would go to Harry and Ginny for some advice, but her two best friends had just left for their own holiday to Egypt. Ron wouldn’t be any help, and Luna would only encourage her to do something out of her comfort zone, like backpack around Europe or spend her days in the spa completely naked.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and Hermione smiled when she saw it was her mom. Just what she needed, maybe her mother could help her make a choice.

‘Hey Sweetie,’ Helen Granger greeted her.

‘Hi mum, how’s your holiday?’

‘Amazing, darling. We’re having such a great time here in Australia, your dad and I wish you could experience it all with us. How are you doing? You’re not still burying yourself in work, are you?’

Hermione groaned.

‘I wish, Kingsley banished me from the office. I have four weeks off, starting today and I have no idea what I want to do.’

Helen laughed, and Hermione could almost see her mother shaking her head at her.

‘Oh sweetie, that must be horrible for you,’ she teased. ‘I think I have the perfect solution for you. It’s the reason I called actually.’

As it turned out her parents needed her to visit their vacation home in France. Something happened to make their alarm go off, and someone needed to check the house and their land. It seemed all too convenient to Hermione, and she wondered if Kingsley had contacted her parents. Her boss was a good friend after all. She didn’t mind though, their vacation home was one of her favourite places to go. A few years back her parents fell in love with the cosy cottage in the middle of the forest. It had a small porch were you could sit and overlook the lake, the view was breathtaking.  
While packing her bags, Hermione actually got excited for the weeks of peace and quiet ahead of her. She could sit on the porch with some tea and finally read the books she got for her birthday last year. She could swim in the lake and soak up some sun. She would be able to visit her favourite coffee shop again.

The closer Hermione got to France, the more relaxed she began to feel. When she stepped off the plane and breathed in the air of her second home land, she smiled and promised herself she would enjoy her time off. She would make the most of it and come back with some cool stories to tell her friends. Maybe she would take a page out of Luna's book and try to step out of her comfort zone, maybe even do something crazy.

***

The next day, Hermione woke with the sound of chirping birds and sunlight streaming into her small and cosy bedroom. When she arrived at the cottage yesterday, she had been so exhausted she fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow. She didn't even take the time to check the house for intruders, which she now regretted. Hermione listened to the noises around her, but all she could hear was mother nature. When she was certain she didn't hear anything else she slipped out of bed, and tiptoed around the house. Besides a few house spiders, she was all alone. All the windows were closed, the doors didn't have a scratch and there was no evidence of anyone forcing entry into their lovely home.

'Why do I have a feeling my parents tricked me?' Hermione muttered as she stepped into the shower.

She decided she would go into town for some breakfast and check out the garden afterwards, maybe she could even borrow one of her neighbours horses for a ride.  
After she dried her hair the best she could, she put on a navy blue summer dress. She braided her wild curls and applied a thin layer of mascara on her eyelashes, making her brown eyes pop. When Hermione was satisfied with her reflection in the mirror she grabbed her bag and left the house.

The small village, only a twenty minute walk through woods and fields, looked exactly the same as the last time Hermione was here. She greeted the old lady behind the flower stand and made her way through the shopping residents towards the coffee shop. When she entered, she breathed in the smell of coffee beans and smiled. Oh how she loved that smell. It wasn't very busy this morning. There was an older man seated by the window, sipping his coffee while reading the newspaper. And a few tables further sat two young woman with their hands around their huge cup of cappuccino. In between them stood a tray of delicious looking treats, it looked like a high tea but with coffee.

'Good morning, how may I help you?'

Hermione startled, she hadn't noticed the young man approaching the counter. He looked at her in question, his eyebrows raised, and he had an amused smile on his lips. The first thing she noticed about him was how beautiful his eyes were. They were the color of blue she rarely saw before, almost grey. His platinum blonde hair fell over his forehead and when her eyes followed the sharp features of his face she also noticed how broad his shoulders were. He probably worked out.

'Miss?'

Hermione felt her cheeks get hot. Oh crap, she was staring.

'Oh, err, sorry. A Latte Macchiato to go, please,' she quickly said, avoiding his eyes. Her gaze fell on the vitrine with different types of pastries and sandwiches. 'And a chocolate croissant, please,' she added, looking up again.

The young man had turned his back to fix her coffee, and Hermione let her eyes wander over him once more. His white t-shirt clung to his upper body, and she could see the muscles flex in his arms when he worked. He was gorgeous. When he turned around she quickly looked back at the pastries, her lips tugging up in a smile. It had been a long time since she’d looked at a man like this, since she had thought one to be cute.

‘Are you here on holiday, or have we gained a new resident? I haven’t seen you here before,’ the man said, making Hermione lock her gaze with his again.

Damn those eyes.

‘Both, actually, but I guess it counts as a holiday,’ Hermione smiled. ‘My parents have a second house here, and I will be living there for the next four weeks.’

The blonde grinned at her as he handed her, her cup of coffee and a bag with her croissant.

‘In that case, your coffee is on the house. As long as you promise not to be a stranger…?’

‘Hermione.’

‘Hermione,’ he repeated, trying out her name. ‘I like it, I’m Draco.’

‘Thank you for the coffee Draco, it was nice to meet you,’ Hermione said, grinning at him before turning around.

As she walked towards the exit of her favourite coffee shop, she glanced down at her cup. ‘You’re beautiful’ was written in place of her name. She glanced back and their eyes met. He winked at her and at that moment Hermione knew her summer would be far from boring. She already loved her coffee shop, but this blonde man made her want to come back even more. Due to her busy work schedule she never had time for a man in her life. She went on three dates in the last, well what would it be, two years probably, and none of the man were interesting enough to see again. Ginny would often tease her about it, or try to set her up with one of her football team mates, but Hermione never cared about any of it. She loved her job. She loved to work, to focus and to learn more every day. She didn't have time for relationships and all the drama that came with it.

Hermione smiled at Draco and walked out of the shop with her head held high, swaying her hips just a little more than usual. She almost laughed at herself for it, as she wasn't really the type to try and get a man's attention. But she was on vacation, and she promised her friends, her mother, and her boss to have fun.

A few hours later, Hermione returned to the coffee shop for some lunch. The bell tinkled above her head, alarming the shop that someone came in. It was a little busier than this morning, and she decided to take a seat at one of the tables near the window. When a girl around her age with dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, came towards her table to take her order, Hermione felt disappointed. Her eyes glanced towards the counter, but the blonde man she met this morning wasn't there either. She ordered a baguette with Brie de Meaux and a cappuccino.

Just when she was about to grab her phone to text Ginny, the bell above the door announced a new visitor, and the blonde man stepped inside. Draco had his arms full of bags and called something in rapidly French to the girl behind the counter, who rushed over to help him. When he was relieved of some of the bags his eyes met hers, and he grinned.

‘Back already, Mon chérie?’ he asked as he walked by to drop his bags behind the counter.

Hermione could only watch how he unloaded the bags, his muscles flexing with every move. He clearly knew his way around, reaching for cabinets without looking and talking to his co-workers as he loaded the machine with coffee beans. She noticed he was the only one without a uniform and frowned. He was too young to own the place, unless he was very rich, but it was more likely for him to be the manager. Yes, that must be it.

Draco caught her staring when their eyes met again, and Hermione felt her cheeks flush. Luckily the waitress arrived with her order, so she quickly focused on the girl and her food. What was wrong with her? The waitress seemed to notice her red cheeks, because she chuckled softly and patted Hermione’s shoulder as she said,

‘Welcome to the Draco Malfoy fan club. Trust me, we’ve all been there.’

Well, how could they not? He looked like a sex god, and he probably attracted girls like a magnet, with his blonde hair, grey eyes, and broad shoulders. Hermione was almost certain he had a six-pack underneath that white t-shirt as well. She wondered what sport he played. Rugby maybe?

Hermione shook her head, trying to wake herself up from all these thoughts about a guy she just met this morning. He probably had a girlfriend anyways. Gosh, what was wrong with her brain? After she finished her delicious baguette, Hermione fled from her favourite coffee shop, without even glancing at the blonde who made her heart race. How could he even do that?

***

The next day Hermione was back again. She was craving coffee and another one of those chocolate croissants. Also, she had been dreaming of a certain blonde man who went by the name of Draco Malfoy. She didn’t even know if he would be there, but she just wanted another glimpse before she started her day.

‘I feel like a fourteen year old with a crush,’ Hermione muttered to herself as she opened the door of her favourite coffee shop.

And there he was, pouring coffee for an older man, while talking in rapid French. Hermione knew enough French to know he was talking about the weather and when the word cheveux fell, she smiled. The older man had two horses, both of them used to be race horses, but they were retired now. Draco asked some more question before he noticed Hermione, still standing in the open door of the shop.

‘Bonjour Hermione, please come on in,’ he greeted her, with a twinkle in his grey eyes.

He patted the older man on his shoulder before walking back to the counter, gesturing Hermione to follow him.

‘What will it be today, Chérie?’ he asked over his shoulder.

You. Please. 

‘A Latte Macchiato, with caramel syrup if you have it,’ Hermione said, glancing down at his ass real quick.

Her face flushed, and she abruptly looked up again, only to be met with the amused eyes of the same waitress as yesterday. She winked at Hermione with a knowing smirk. Hermione swallowed her giggle and tried to look normal in case Draco would turn around. Damn, what was wrong with her? She felt like a teenager. Ginny was going to cry tears of laughter if she ever told her this, this was not normal behaviour for Hermione. Ginny, however, would stare at anyone’s ass if he or she was good looking, something that made her husband Harry still blush sometimes

‘Of course I have caramel syrup, who do you think you’re talking too, Chérie?’ Draco asked with wide eyes, as if she asked something completely insane.

Three minutes later he handed her a tall cup of coffee and a plate with a chocolate croissant, even though she hadn’t told him she wanted one yet.

‘How did you..?’ Hermione started, but Draco interrupted her by placing his fingers on her lips.

Hermione’s eyes went wide, and her lips tingled where his fingers touched her.

‘I saw the way you looked at them, Chérie. If only you looked at me like that,’ he wiggled his blonde eyebrows and moved his fingers to her chin.

‘Si belle, so beautiful,’ he whispered before moving away to his coffee machines.

Hermione blinked and took a few seconds to shake herself out of the trance the blonde had just put her in. He was strange, yet so handsome and fascinating. She wondered what his story was.

‘He likes you,’ the waitress with the ponytail said to Hermione. ‘He’s a charmer isn’t he? He can be very arrogant if he doesn’t like or trust someone though, but he finds you very interesting.’

‘I, err, I wouldn’t know why,’ Hermione stuttered, slightly taken aback.

Was that a good thing?

The waitress smiled at her.

‘You’re absolutely gorgeous for one, and you’re British. You remind him of home.’

At that moment Hermione realized the girl spoke English, without a French accent, and so did Draco. He used French words, but he knew the moment she came in that she was English. The blonde had a slight French accent, but she was guessing that was because he spent so much time here in France.

‘I’m Pansy, by the way,’ the waitress continued, introducing herself.

Hermione was about to say her name, when Draco did the honours.

‘This is Hermione, Pans, my mother’s favourite British costumer.’

Hermione raised her eyebrows at the last part. His mother? Did she even know her? Wait.. Yesterday Pansy had said that Draco’s last name was Malfoy, so that could only mean one thing..

‘Cissy is your mother?’ Hermione asked, a grin appeared on her face.

The beautiful blonde woman had run this coffee shop for as long as she could remember, sometimes disappearing for a few weeks to visit her other shops in France. Hermione had assumed she was doing so now, as she hadn’t seen the woman yet. 

‘She must really like you, if she lets you call her Cissy,’ Pansy said, glancing between Hermione and Draco with a smile.

‘Oh she does. As soon as she heard Hermione was in town again, she insisted on coming back from her trip early. She wants you to join us for dinner this Friday,’ Draco chuckled, but then his face got more serious. ‘Will you?’

‘Of course, I will! I haven’t seen her in ages, and I would love to finally see the beautiful garden she always talks about,’ Hermione immediately said.

Draco pouted.

‘So it’s not that you want to get to know me better? Damn, and I already told mother she could finally plan that summer wedding.’ 

Hermione laughed, and so did Pansy.

**

The next three days Hermione spend every morning and late afternoon in her favourite coffee shop. Draco would make her a latte macchiato, Pansy would fix her up something to eat, and the three of them would chat until they both had to get back to work again. On her fifth day in France, Hermione even helped Pansy serve coffees when it was very busy. Draco was getting some supplies for one of the broken machines in the back, and another waitress had just gone home sick.

‘You’re a lifesaver Chérie,’ Draco said when he returned to the store. ‘Let me repay you,’ he grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.

‘And how do you intend to do that?’ Hermione asked with a chuckle.

She had gotten used to him flirting with her, and her cheeks didn’t flush as often as in the beginning anymore, much to Draco’s disappointment. He found her blushes adorable, he had informed her.

Draco leaned forward and Hermione felt her heartbeat speed up in her chest. He smelled so unbelievingly good, and god, those eyes. His grey eyes stared into hers as his hands touched her arms, his fingers curling around her arms to pull her forward, closer to him. When she felt like she couldn’t breathe anymore, he closed even more distance between them and pressed his lips against her hot cheek. Hermione puffed out a breath and Draco chuckled.

‘Thought I would kiss you didn’t you?’

He grinned at her, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

‘Oh, stop teasing the poor girl Draco,’ Pansy called from behind the counter. ‘Just kiss her already, we’re all waiting for it.’

The shop suddenly seemed to fall quiet for just a few seconds, before the sound of soft chatter started up again. The old man with the horses, that came in the shop every day, winked at Hermione.

‘It’s true Mister Malfoy, I know a good love story when I see one,’ he said, and raised his cup of coffee towards them.

‘But we only just met, how can you tell?’ Hermione blurted out.

The man smiled.

‘When I met my wife, I knew she was the one the moment she spoke to me. Time isn’t always important Miss, it’s the feeling that matters. You’ll know it, when it true.’

‘That almost sounds like a riddle,’ Hermione muttered, but when her eyes glanced back at Draco, she knew the man was right.

While she wasn’t sure he was the one, she was sure that she really wanted to kiss him. She wanted him to touch her skin again, even if it was just her arm or her hand. She realized she wanted to get to know him better.

‘You two remind me of us,’ the man continued. ‘I see there’s some chemistry there, and Mister Malfoy never acts this way around anyone else but you. I’m here every morning Miss, I can tell the difference. Since you stepped inside five days ago, he’s been smiling more.’  
Draco shifted behind her and placed his hand on her back, making her whole body feel warm.

‘He’s right. You’re a fresh breath of air, Chérie. You remind me of home. You’re different from the other woman around here, and on top of that you are beautiful. I love making you coffee and chatting with you about your life at home and other topics that no one else seems to understand,’ Draco said, gazing into her eyes, making her swoon on her feet.

‘Who are you, and what the hell have you done with Draco Malfoy?’ Pansy chuckled from behind them, interrupting their moment.

Draco rolled his eyes and grinned at his friend.

‘Have you not learned by now, that we Malfoy’s are very skilled at wearing masks?’

The older man glared at Pansy, clearly annoyed she interrupted them, and Hermione bit her lip to hold in her giggle. She shot the man a smile and slipped her hand into Draco’s. The blonde looked at her in surprise, but quickly decided it was a good thing. He glanced between Pansy and his old friend, before pulling Hermione away from them. He lead her through the store and into the backroom, ignoring Pansy who called after them.  
The room was small, hot and full of supplies. Draco, however, wasn’t planning on staying there apparently. He pushed open the door and took Hermione outside into the sun.

‘Where are we going?’ she asked, when he didn’t stop walking.

‘Someplace else. I want to show you something,’ he replied, as he slowed his step.

Draco intertwined their fingers, making Hermione smile. She liked this feeling. The walk was enjoyable as well, and Hermione felt like she needed an extra pair of eyes. They walked through the older part of the town, which looked like a painting that had come to life. There were loads of colourful flowers everywhere, and everyone they past greeted them cheerfully.

‘It’s beautiful here,’ Hermione whispered.

‘I’d thought you’d appreciate this part of our town. Come, let’s go in here,’ Draco said, pulling her with him into another alley.

They stopped before the cutest little coffee shop Hermione had ever seen. There were flowers and fairy lights everywhere, which made it a very romantic place as well. Outside were three tables with colourful chairs and cushions. And when Draco motioned for her to walk inside she saw the inside was just as small as it looked from the outside. There was a counter with two coffee machines and a small vitrine for pastries and stuff. It basically filled up the whole space, leaving only a little room for two small tables at both sides of the counter.

‘It’s adorable, I love it,’ Hermione beamed. ‘Is it yours?’

Draco nodded.

‘Mother bought it a few weeks ago, she fell in love with the place immediately.’.

‘I can see why. I would want to work here as well,’ Hermione said, looking around once more.

It might be small, but she was sure they could make something out of it, make it just as successful as the bigger shop.

‘Would you?’ Draco asked, stepping closer to Hermione.

‘Would I what?’

‘Work here?’

Hermione blinked. Draco took another step forward, his hands grabbed hers.

‘Are you serious?’ Hermione frowned. Was he though? She would love to work here, but she was only here for another three weeks. She had a job already. She lived in England, how would this work? It surprised her how much she actually wanted this. What happened to the workaholic Hermione, who wouldn’t leave the office?

When Draco nodded and smiled down at her, her lips slowly curled up in a smile as well.

‘You don’t have to answer right away, I know you have your life back home. But just… think about it, okay?’ he said leaning forward.

His arm circled around her waist, pulling her against his broad body. Was he going to kiss her now? She opened her mouth to protest, didn’t they need to talk about this some more? Did he really mean this? What would this mean for her? For them? The wheels in her brain started spinning, and she leaned against him as if his warmth would help her. A thousand words danced on her tongue as she clung to him but he kissed her and they faded into dust.

He tasted like coffee. Hermione melted against Draco’s body and wrapped her arms around his neck, playing with the strands of blonde hair in his neck as she nibbled on his lips. Draco tightened his grip around her waist and gently bit her lower lip. When he pulled back to look in her eyes, Hermione sighed at the loss of his lips. She once again felt like a lovesick teenager, and she had no idea if this was normal. She had certainly never felt this way before.

‘Coffee Kisses,’ she said. ‘That could be the name of this shop, or maybe a newly invented pastry for the shop.’

Draco’s face lit up and his lips curled into a grin. He grabbed the back of Hermione’s neck and pulled her closer for another kiss. A kiss that tasted like coffee. A Coffee Kiss.

‘If I stay, of course,’ Hermione breathed when they separated again.

Draco smirked.

‘If you stay.’


End file.
